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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22479814">Misguided</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/taecallsmenoona/pseuds/taecallsmenoona'>taecallsmenoona</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ATEEZ (Band), EXO (Band), Monsta X (Band), NCT (Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), SF9 (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Hockey, Angst, Best Friends, Cat Cafe, Coach Sehun, F/M, Female Reader, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm Bad At Summaries, Injury Recovery, Kissing, Love Confessions, Making Up, Mild Language, Monsta X will be the bad guys in this, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pet Adoption, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Jongho/Reader, Platonic Relationships, Platonic San/Reader, Rivalry, San loves his best friend, Seonghwa is an asshole, Slight Violence, Stubborn Reader, Teasing, healthy competition, rated for language, sweet seonghwa, unnecessary use of the phrase 'big boy', we all need a friend like san</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:14:14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22479814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/taecallsmenoona/pseuds/taecallsmenoona</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>teamwork (noun): the combined action of a group of people, especially when effective and efficient.</p><p>read on to explore the trials and tribulations of learning to work together, including unlikely opponents, blooming love interests, and coming together in the face of extreme conflict.</p><p>----------------------------------------------------------</p><p>or - </p><p>learning to communicate</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baek Juho | Zuho/Reader, Choi Jongho/Reader, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Choi San/Reader, Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character(s), Jeong Yunho/Original Female Character(s), Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Park Seonghwa/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Beginning of the End</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! A good friend of mine had a really cute and wholesome dream about hockey player Seonghwa that turned into a whole creative spiral of trials, tribulations, and character development in about 10 hours. A few things to note while you start what hopes to be a promising piece of fiction:</p><p>* I play ice hockey (I am a female in a predominantly male sport, which is one of my most favorite things). While I play and have a fairly good understanding of the game, there are still things that I don't know or am learning. Please bear that in mind. I'm not perfect<br/>* give very little thought into the current relationship tags. /most/ of them are platonic friendships or just relationships in general and are not always romantic in nature.<br/>* tags will be changing as the story progresses and advances. I have most of this thought out already in a very rough sense but I don't quite know how things are going to fully pan out. I'm writing this story myself just as much as the story will be writing itself<br/>* there will be a lot of idols referenced in this. I created 9 teams for this story. each team will consist of 13 skaters and a goalie. all teams have at least 5 idols on them, but the rest not mentioned will be considered original characters. just know that all teams are pretty balanced.</p><p>*** updates will not be promised regularly. I have this really cute personality trait where I get self-conscious and think people hate my stuff and then i get discouraged. feed my ego. if you like it, please tell me. I promise you'll get updates faster ***</p><p>that was a lot, i know. I just wanted to make sure you had a good grasp of my mind before we get started. I've really been wanting to create a story like this because Ateez as hockey players is something I've thought about quite frequently. please enjoy &lt;3 </p><p>**this chapter is unbeta'd right now but will probably be read through by my lovely Kia soon**</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Giggles and squeals could be heard from all around as well as the soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>woosh </span>
  </em>
  <span>of ice skates making their marks on the unforgiving surface they were skating on. If she looks to her left, she sees other smiling faces of all ages, some throwing their heads back in a fit of laughter, some trying desperately to stay on their feet. If she looks to her right and up just slightly, she sees one particular contagious smile, confident in his abilities as he leads them around the rink. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The buzzer sounds to indicate there are two minutes left in the session and that patrons should make their way off of the ice and into the lobby area to remove their skates. He looks over at you with a mischievous glint in his eye. “Wanna have a little fun?” He asks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fun how?” You inquire.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Two laps, loser buys dinner.” He suggests with a shrug.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Start at the end by the door?” He nods in affirmation, the two of you lazily make your way around the rink, separating from each other as you get closer to your starting point. You both start to slowly speed up as you make your way around the final corner and you’re even when you cross the end red line to start your race. Suddenly the gentle </span>
  <em>
    <span>woosh </span>
  </em>
  <span>of skate blades across the ice become harsh cuts as both of you dig in, neither of you wanting to lose to the other in a simple match of pure speed. You were fairly confident in your abilities, especially in a straight line, but he had you on tight crossovers around the turns. Using his powerful legs to ease into the turns and keep them tight, he pulled ahead, but what he had over you in finesse, you had over him in speed. He had a slight edge on you after the first lap and a half, but you pride yourself in that last burst of energy toward the end, putting your head down and really digging in, using your height difference as an advantage to get lower and really push. You overtook him at the center red line and did not relinquish your lead for the remainder of the race, coming to a quick stop at the finish line and doubling over to catch your breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Beat you,” you gloated with a smug wink. His look was nothing short of surprised as he panted softly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like dinner’s on me. Come on.” He said as you made your way off the ice just as the Zamboni doors opened to signal the end of open skate. You grabbed his outstretched hand with a smirk and allowed yourself to be led to the seating area to remove your skates. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was going to blame my loss on the rentals, but you’re wearing them too,” he whined, causing your smile to widen significantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was pretty confident that I had lost with your lead you had after that last turn.” You tried to console. “Guess I’m just quicker than you.” You teased, earning a gasp from your date.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No way, we’re coming back when I have my skates.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. Let me know when and I’ll make sure to have mine too.” You winked, earning another stunned look from him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You skate?” You nodded in affirmation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have for a while, most of my life actually. It’s my escape.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I learn more things about you every day.” He smiles at you as you return your skates and head outside. He grabs your hand and intertwines your fingers, leading you to your car. Opening your door for you, like he always does, he ushers you inside before situating himself to your right. He leans across the console, tucking your hair behind your ear, and places a chaste kiss on your cheek in congratulations. In return, he’s met with one of your stomach rumbles and he chuckles, fastening his seat belt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wings?” He suggests. You nod happily and pull out of the parking lot to head to your final destination of the night, not ready for the night to end with a boy you’ve become very fond of.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“SANI - HIGH HIGH HIGH” you yell, fiercely hitting your stick on the ice. San looks your way and notices a clear lane, free of any sticks or bodies and sends the puck across to you, a perfect pass coming from his stick (not surprised as he’s the top center on your hockey team). You wind up dramatically for a one-time shot and feel yourself falling over as you completely miss the puck and it flies toward the wall. You regain your balance and bust your ass to get back on defense barely catching up to Zuho in time to poke the puck off of his stick before he takes his shot on your goalie. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You hear the buzzer sound, signifying the end of your practice and you head to the bench to grab your things to head off the ice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, if you’re going to call for that, at least have the sensibility to bury it,” San teases you. You roll your eyes and shove him away from you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your pass wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>good,” you mumble, knowing full well that you’re full of shit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was the most perfect pass.” He squawks indignantly, throwing his glove at you. Picking it up off the floor with your stick, you toss it back at him with a giggle. You enter the locker room to change after a gruelling practice to notice your coach standing in the middle looking somber and waiting for the last of the stragglers to make their way into the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Your nerves start to get the best of you as you take in his demeanor, you begin shedding your pads and practice jersey, glancing up at your coach every so often as he visibly struggles with the speech he’s about to give. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Listen up Jags,” coach says, silencing the post-practice chatter. “You know we’ve had issues with funding in the past, but unfortunately they’ve caught up to us this year. Our normal sponsors have backed out leaving us extremely short for this season, and unfortunately I wasn’t able to find replacements for them.” You hear gasps echo around the locker room and you see that everyone has stopped changing to give their coach their undivided attention.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So that’s it? We’re done?” Jaeyoon says, too calm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes and no.” Coach is met with a quizzical look from the majority of the locker room, so he proceeds. “The Stars have opened their doors to us and said they were short some players to make a full roster this year.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably because nobody wants to play for that dirty fuckin’ team.” Jongho mumbles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“HEY.” Coach booms in Jongho’s direction. “You’re being given an opportunity to play with some of the best players in the league. Don’t be a dick, Choi.” You see your defensive partner shake his head in disgust. “You can either suck it up and go play for a good organization, or you can hang up your skates for the season, your choice. They practice here tomorrow.” With that, your coach makes his way out of the locker room. When the door closes, chaos ensues. Loud yelling comes from every direction, but you notice that one teammate in particular is oddly quiet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sani, what’s going on?” You prompt your center.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I just wanna play.” He shrugs. “I’m gonna go.” You nod in acknowledgement.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t your friend Wooyoung on that team?” You ask. San nods with a small smile. “It’ll be fun to play with him again.” San nods again at your words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to go too?” He asks. Honestly, you’re not sure. On one hand, you really don’t want this to be the end, but you’ve heard horror stories about their main defensive pair, Mingi and Yunho, and how they’re relentless in practices and games. Your current quad unit of defense is tight and any of you can play with each other, though you much prefer playing with Jongho. You know Yunho and Mingi are a tight pair and don’t really work well with others. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll think about it,” you answer, and San knows your reservations. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow.” San says as he picks up his bag and stick to head home. You nod in acknowledgement, putting your last skate in your bag and zipping it up as he exits the locker room. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <span>We’ll see</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. It's Like Boy Meets Girl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The teams merge</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fair warning, Seonghwa is kind of a dick in this chapter. and by kind of, i mean he's a huge asswagon.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After an upsetting and heartbreaking practice, the only light at the end of your metaphorical dark tunnel was that you had dinner at Seonghwa’s later that night. You dropped your hockey bag off at home and started the laundry, needing your clothes clean for the possibility of practice tomorrow. You hopped in the shower, hoping the steam and hot water would ease the tight knot that had formed in your throat and stomach.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When you got to Seonghwa’s, he met you at your car, opening your door for you and pulling you into a sweet hug, pressing a kiss to your hair. You smiled into his chest and he led you inside, arm never leaving from its spot at your waist. You eased your shoes off when you crossed the threshold, not wanting the salt and melting snow to soil his floor and made the familiar trek to his kitchen, smelling the delicious food he prepared. As you made your plates, you noticed him stealing glances at you out of the corner of your eye.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Everything okay?” You ask him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was going to ask you the same. You’re very quiet tonight.” He retorts with a shy chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Got some bad news today and now I have a tough decision to make tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Want to talk about it?” He offers with a soft caress of your arm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not right now. It’s a choice for me. I appreciate it, though.” You said finitely, leaning over to connect your lips sweetly. He hummed into the kiss and chased after your mouth as you pulled away. “Let’s eat. I’m starving!” You exclaim, sending him into a fit of giggles. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Spending time with Seonghwa was just what you needed to ease the awful anxious feeling in your gut. You felt at ease going home and decided to give practice the next day a chance. At the very least, you knew San was going to be there, and you were fairly confident that Jongho would tag along with his older brother, meaning you’d have familiar faces and skaters there with you if something were to happen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When you arrived at the rink early the next morning, the anxious feeling was back, but it had evolved into more of an excited feeling. You noticed on the board that the coach had reserved a separate locker room for the “FORMER JAGUARS” and made your way to it silently, letting your “smooth vibes” playlist ring through your ears on shuffle as you get ready. You take your time lacing your skates and pulling your jersey over your head, the familiar number 71 falling right into place on your shoulders. Looking up at San and Jongho, you give a short nod as you head out to the ice together. Zuho and Jaeyoon, the only other two who had shown up aside from the three of you, had already dressed and were out on the ice taking a longer-than-normal warm up before practice was set to begin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You stepped onto the ice, feeling the familiar glide and rush of cool air through your helmet and felt yourself relax immensely. You took a few slow laps around the rink, taking note of how San was chatting animatedly with who you only assume to be Wooyoung, and how Jongho was working on his slapshot technique from his normal spot at the left point. Taking an extra second to stretch, you watch your potential new teammates and how they interact. You notice an unusually tall pair of defenders, who you assume to be the infamous ‘YunGi’ pair as they take turns checking each other into the wall while simultaneously giggling. You also see a platinum blonde center weaving his way in and out of people, working on his agility and footwork while puck-handling. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You hear a whistle and make your way over to the bench, kneeling in the front so people behind you can see (although that’s probably not an issue considering you’re the shortest one there, maybe aside from Blondie standing next to you).</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“To those of you who are from the Jaguars, welcome! My name is Sehun, and should you choose to stay with us, I will be your coach. Thank you for coming today and I hope you’ll like our organization.” At this point, Blondie steps up beside the coach and it’s then you see the block “C” that adorns the right side of his chest. Ahh, he’s your captain. “This is Hongjoong. He’s currently our top line center and your captain.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” Blondie - er, Hongjoong says as he raises a gloved hand in the direction of the newcomers. “Hopefully we’ll all be able to work well together. Unfortunately our Assistant captain hasn’t decided to grace us with his presence yet. He apparently woke up late.” You hear the annoyance in Hongjoong’s voice as well as snickers from those who obviously know the unknown’s antics well. You have a hard time determining whether this is a common theme or something out of the ordinary for the absent player. You shake your head as the coach explains the drills you’ll be doing today. You luckily are paired up with Jongho for the majority of it, Sehun wanting to take today to really assess his new player’s strengths and opportunities individually and how they can best fit in with his now full team.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You’re half way through your second drill of the day when you hear the rink door open and close harshly. Sehun blows his whistle and everyone skates over for the newest introduction. You’re listening to Hongjoong make his long-winded introduction of his assistant as you’re picking the ice off of your stick blade, setting a mental reminder to retape your stick.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay without further ado, this is our assistant captain.” You look up and are shocked by the sight in front of you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seonghwa?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Your question has the entire team looking at you as you remove your helmet and stand square to the boy you’ve become fond of over the past few months.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They know each other?” You hear someone (it sounded like Wooyoung) ask under his breath.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” He asks you coldly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Playing hockey. What are you doing here? And why are you late?” You counter, fiery personality shooting out of you before you can stop it. You’re met with an unusually cold scoff and eye roll from the taller boy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Obviously I’m here to play. Was </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>your big conundrum that had you mentally freaking out yesterday?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” You ask, offering him a second chance to rephrase his harsh question.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were practically crying over some morally dubious decision you had to make.” He shrugs mockingly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay that’s enough. Let’s just play, yeah?,” Jongho offers, coming to your rescue. You hold your hand in front of him, stopping him from coming any further, not backing down.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was a moral dilemma, actually.” You chuckle sarcastically. “I didn’t know what I was getting into with a team like this. I’ve only ever known the Jaguars.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmmm. Pity.” He mumbles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>ANYWAY</em>
  </b>
  <span>” Hongjoong interjects before you could comment on Seonghwa's remark, “Seonghwa is your assistant captain. Please show him some respect. He’s worked hard to get here.” You chuckle inaudibly, gaze not wavering from Seonghwa’s icy stare. The huddle breaks and you skate away with Jongho to continue your drills, feeling Seonghwa’s eyes shooting daggers into your back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that about?” Jongho questions you quietly after gaining a safe distance from the others. You shake your head and avoid his gaze.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I really don’t wanna fuckin’ be here.” You complain, taking a shot at the net and skating away, opting to continue your skating drills alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sehun blows his whistle and you skate over to the bench. He’s holding light and dark jerseys and is distributing them among the old and new players evenly to prepare for an inter-squad scrimmage. You’re given a dark jersey and you move to the other bench to join your temporary teammates. You’re on a team with Hongjoong, some boy named Rowoon, and a small boy with blue hair named Taeyong as well as a few others whose names you haven’t learned yet. You grimaced as you saw Yunho skating to the dark bench as well, knowing that you and Jongho would be split up. You also realized that you were the only skater from the Jaguars on this dark team, and you were a little concerned by that fact. You look across the ice and see Jongho being introduced to Wooyoung and Mingi clinging to Wooyoung’s side almost comically, chatting with the others and looking extremely chummy. You took a big drink of water and threw the new jersey on over your current one, not loving how the new one felt emotionally. Maybe this wasn’t going to work out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You took your place behind the center faceoff circle and waited for Coach Sehun to drop the puck. You were going to scrimmage for the last ten minutes of practice and since each team only fields four defenders (two of which were on the other team), you were going to be out there for the majority of it, only getting small breaks for water when you got so tired you couldn’t stand anymore. Time was moving quickly as skaters weaved in and out of each other, setting up small plays and working on puck movement more than shooting to score. You noticed that a lot of the wings and centers don’t like to utilize the defenders while on offense and you’re not sure if it’s because it’s how they normally play or if it’s because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>the one guarding the blue line. Either way, you file that information away to talk to Jongho and San about later. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Since it was practice, you’re also not going in for the huge hits like you would in a normal game. Hockey was physical, and that was one thing you loved about it. Being a female in a male-dominated sport, people often took a double look at you when you stepped on the ice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There’s no way a </span>
  </em>
  <span>girl </span>
  <em>
    <span>is successful in hockey. Their bodies aren’t made for the impact - </span>
  </em>
  <span>they would say. You had gotten pretty good at tuning out the negativity and eventually it stopped as spectators and opposing teams would realize that you could take any hit and keep up with any boy on the ice. It was always an unspoken rule that you don’t go for the big hits in practice, so imagine your shock when you saw none other than Seonghwa lining up to hip check you as you were making your way down the ice. You brace for impact as you collide, both of you falling over at the collision. You hear Sehun’s whistle and everything stopped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“SEONGHWA WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?” Hongjoong roared, getting up in his assistant’s face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s hockey,” he scoffed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fucking practice, you dick,” San exclaimed, coming up to shove Seonghwa harshly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seonghwa, y/n. Here. Now.” You hear Sehun call out over the chaos. You both skate over, avoiding each other at all costs. “I don’t give a flying fuck what past the two of you have, but you better fucking bury it before this weekend. Got it?” You both mumble your affirmations at your coach. “We’re done here. Everyone, go home.” Sehun dismisses the team angrily and everyone solemnly makes their way to the locker rooms to change and leave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shoving your headphones in your ears as to not have to answer to your Jaguar teammates, you undress and leave quickly, ignoring the faint calls of your name from what sounds like Seonghwa as you get in your car to head home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What the actual fuck happened today?</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thoughts? Comments? Questions?</p>
<p>If you have any questions about terminology or what I'm trying to say, please don't hesitate to reach out. I probably use a lot of jargon that I think is common but may not necessarily be the case.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. It's Goin' Down For Real</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You made it about half way home before your emotions started getting the better of you and you allowed yourself a brief moment to succumb to them. By the time you get home, your body was shaking with the sobs that you normally would repress. You let yourself into your apartment and collapse against the door once it shuts, allowing yourself to fully curl in and reflect on the events of the day. What started as hopeful optimism that you would be able to continue your hockey career turned into extreme questioning of your future with the sport you love. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You gave yourself an hour to wallow before you pulled yourself together again. You unpacked your bag, thankful to have tomorrow off both from work and practice. After starting the washer, you padded into the kitchen, grabbing a frozen dinner out of the freezer and popping it into the microwave. You really didn’t have the energy to cook. When the microwave signaled the start of your dinner, you popped down in front of the couch, munching happily and mindlessly watching whatever the USA channel was playing currently. You decided to lay around a little more, letting the stress of the day melt away with every second you were perched on the couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After about the fourth episode of Law and Order: SVU, you hear a knock at your door. You contemplate answering it because you only then realized that you hadn’t showered yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We know you’re in there. I know Olivia Benson’s voice anywhere.” San called from behind the door. You rolled your eyes and slowly made your way to the door. You opened it and turned on your heel, knowing San and Jongho would follow you into the room, having done it numerous times in the past. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you had a key,” you stated sharply, not really wanting to deal with either of them right now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We wanted it to be your choice if you let us in,” San responded sweetly, dangling his keyring with your aqua painted key hanging mockingly from it. You mumbled a ‘thanks’ at your friend’s thoughtfulness before sending them an inquisitive look, wordlessly asking why they were there. “Just wanted to hang out,” San stated, as if it was obvious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, baby, I love you, but can you please shower? You smell gross.” Jongho supplies sympathetically.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t expecting company.” You grumbled, moving from your comfy spot on the couch to drag yourself into the shower.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Love you!” Jongho calls after you, and you can faintly hear the rustling of him raiding your cabinets as you shut the bathroom door behind you. If you shut the door louder and harder than normal, neither of them said anything about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You won’t ever admit it to your younger friend, but you did feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>a smidge </span>
  </em>
  <span>better after taking a shower, but your thoughts kept returning to Seonghwa. Not about the hit, you didn’t care about that. He was right in the sense that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>hockey. It’s a physical sport. No. The thing that got to you was how icy he was when your eyes met for the first time. It was almost as if he couldn’t believe that </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be playing hockey, let alone on the same team as him. Almost as if he thought of you as beneath him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay you were also a little pissed about the hit. Whatever.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You shuffled your way back into the living room to see that San and Jongho had made themselves at home. They were scrolling through your Hulu account looking for a movie and a freshly popped bag of popcorn sat steaming in the open spot between them on the couch - your spot. You smiled (behind their backs of course. They can’t know that you appreciate them) and made your way to the couch, plopping yourself down between them and resting your wet head on Jongho’s shoulder, making the younger screech and try to get away. You giggled and held him close to you until he stopped struggling and accepted your cuddles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. Only because you had a shit day,” he grumbles and San snorts from your other side, knowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>full well </span>
  </em>
  <span>that his brother craved cuddles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are we watching?” You ask San.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean what are me and Jongho going to be watching?” You move your head slightly so you can throw a glare at your friend who is snickering to himself. “You know you’ll be asleep within half an hour,” he reasons and Jongho is trying desperately to hold in his laughter. You’ve all been friends long enough that you know each other almost better than they know themselves. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How was the locker room after I left?” You asked, unable to meet your friend’s eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Quiet. Nobody really knew what to say. Zuho was pissed. Yoon had to physically hold him back. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look like that.” San explains with a shudder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I saw Seonghwa try to come after you, and honestly I almost told Yoon to let Zuho go, but Seonghwa almost looked apologetic or embarrassed.” Jongho recounted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good.” You and San stated together. “Are you going back Friday?” San asks. You nod. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not letting that asshat ruin my very promising road to the NHL.” You say with a smirk and you feel Jongho’s shoulders shake with laughter.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re 5 foot 5 and 24 years old. Your time has passed, old lady.” Jongho jabs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re 24?!” San asks with a gasp.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck off San you knew this.” San pouts at you and opens the popcorn, taking a handful and shoving it in your mouth. You hum as the popcorn starts to dissolve on your tongue and crunch the salty snack, letting it take all of your problems away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How to deal with Seonghwa Friday was a future problem.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“How’s that boy you’ve been seeing?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s complicated, mama. We’re not really talking right now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, honey. Want to talk about it?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really. A few things just came to light and there was some miscommunication. Everything will work out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I trust you, smart girl. How are my boys?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You let out a chuckle “Ma, they’re fine. Sani, Jongho, Juho, Yooni and I ended up joining a new team.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“A new team? Why?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s a long story, but funding was cut for the Jags, but this other team took us in and agreed that our fees would transfer. They were short a few players so it ended up working out for everyone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“And how is this new team? How’s the coach? Do you like it?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The team is...different. Coach Oh is good. Very strict, but fair. I’m not sure if I like it yet. There’s a little bit of animosity, but I think it’s just a little bit of boys just being territorial over their space.” You shrug, knowing full well that your mom can’t see your expression.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Well no worries. I know you’ll win them over. You’ve always been very sweet and accommodating.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, mama. Hey, I gotta go. I just got to the rink and I need to retape my stick. It’s the last practice before our game tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“What time? We’d love to come watch.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhhh, I think the first game starts at 2, then we have another at 4:50. This team actually shares the same ice as the Jags did, and we’re home, so you won’t have to find a new rink.” You say with a laugh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Perfect. We’ll see you tomorrow. And tell my boys I love them and that we’re going out afterward! I love you honey.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love you, mama. Talk to you tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You sigh as you hang up the phone. You always felt better after talking to your mom. You knew you needed to talk to her today as you were heading back to practice and facing Seonghwa for the first time in a few days. Jongho and San had confiscated your phone and kept you occupied with movies and cuddles, only stopping to sleep, shower and get food. Upon entering the rink, you noticed that there was no separate locker room for the ex-Jags and that you’d all be together. You sighed to yourself and made way into the locker room, not knowing what to expect.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You pushed open the door to the locker room and were met with a sight. Not sure what kind of sight that is. Hongjoong was seemingly scolding a very shirtless Seonghwa who had his head hung low. The others around him were trying to make it seem like they weren’t eavesdropping (with the exception of Mingi - he was being really obvious about it, chiming in every now and then with a “yeah that was really fuckin’ stupid, man” and earning glares from both the scolder and the scoldee) while they continued to get ready. Nobody even really noticed your entry until you dropped your bag on the ground. At the </span>
  <em>
    <span>thud, </span>
  </em>
  <span>everyone’s heads snapped up in your direction. Your eyes locked with Seonghwa’s brown ones and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but Hongjoong cut him off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t deserve to talk to her.” Seonghwa nodded and broke eye contact with you, throwing his shoulder pads on over his broad, bare chest. Hongjoong turned his attention to you at that point.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Didn’t expect to see you back.” He simply states.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know why.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s hockey.” You shrug. Out of your peripheral, you see Seonghwa eyeing you and you can tell that he really wants to talk to you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Glad to have you, then.” Hongjoong nods at you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Glad to be here.” You nod back, unzipping your bag and ending the conversation. Seemingly the room let out a collective breath after that interaction, obviously expecting a major blowout and maybe someone leaving in a huff.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once you were all fully dressed, Sehun entered the locker room. He looked at Hongjoong, received a nod, and turned his attention to you and Seonghwa. “You two sort out your shit?” He asks deadpan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re fine.” You state. “Right Seonghwa?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re good.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good, cuz it’s gonna be a rough one, guys and gal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The interaction with Seonghwa (or lack thereof, really) was forgotten as soon as you stepped on the ice and felt the coolness radiating from the floor. You smiled to yourself and went through your drills, learning the ins and outs and the little intricacies of your new team. You quickly learned </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>Yunho and Mingi made such a dynamic pair. They were both aggressive to the puck and they were so damn tall that nobody could stand in front of the goalie without a nice rough check in the back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw honey, it’s cute if you think you can move one of us.” Mingi joked with you. Obviously you were significantly shorter than both of them. You hear Yunho snicker, but you didn’t waver. You just got lower and pushed harder. You felt Mingi’s hockey stick make contact with your back and suddenly you were on the ice. It wasn’t hard and it wasn’t malicious. He was doing his job as a defender. The play started going the other way as Taeyong intercepted Zuho’s pass. You look to pick yourself back up and saw a gloved hand stretched in your direction. You took it with a smile and allowed Mingi to help you up. You offered him a fist bump and he met it, following it up with an endearing pat to the top of your head and a shocked “wow you really are tiny.” You scoffed and swung your stick at the back of his legs softly as he cackled, skating away from you. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You also met the shy left wing, Yeosang. The two of you worked together on cross-ice passes from wing to defense through the zone. You learned he much preferred to pass the puck over taking it in and scoring himself. He wasn’t the fastest, but he was the most calculated and his passes were even more accurate than San’s if that’s even possible (you also make a mental note to give San shit about it later. The cocky little shit thinks he’s the best thing to happen to the game of hockey.). Yeosang’s passes were always spot-on and you learned that he often played on a line with Seonghwa and Hongjoong. The three of them together were lethal, Hongjoong utilizing his speed to find open ice and Seonghwa using his broad size to physically make open space. They were impressive, objectively.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After practice, you were all gathered in the locker room listening to Sehun give the rundown of the teams you would play tomorrow. You were set to play the Predators first (captained by an injured Seungcheol) and the very much hated Capitals team (captained by Shownu, who was actually not a dick off the ice, despite how awful he was to play against.) for your second game. Sehun was very adamant about keeping a level head because everyone knew the Capitals would try to get under their skin. They had two defenders who were excellent at chattering and getting players angry while keeping themselves out of the penalty box. Sehun threw a few pointed glances at a tall center (Jungkook, you think) as well as Hongjoong. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The first game isn’t until two, but please get here at noon. I want you zoned in and ready. Flames and Rangers play at noon and they have some players I’ve never seen before, meaning you’ve never seen them either. See you tomorrow. Rest well.” With that, Sehun leaves the team and you put your headphones in, effectively drowning out the locker room chatter. You’re almost done repacking your bag when a shadow covers you, a large body standing in front of you. You look up, removing one headphone from your ear, meeting Seonghwa’s gaze.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we talk?” He asks quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why? You said all you needed to say Wednesday.” You said cooly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please. It’s important.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can it wait until after this weekend? I really want to focus.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you want to wait, we can wait.” Seonghwa says, defeated. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hhhhh, fine. Let’s go.” You sigh. Getting up and walking out of the locker room to the stands. When you reach the bleachers, you sit down and stare at him until he mirrors your actions, putting a significant amount of distance between you. You stare at him with arched eyebrows waiting for him to begin talking.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.” He says.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>sorry?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sorry for what exactly?” You scoff. How could he think you’d be okay after two words?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Firstly I’m sorry for hitting you. That was fucking stupid.” He starts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s hockey, Hwa. I’m not fragile.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, but it was practice. You don’t hit in practice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Go on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m also sorry about the things I said before practice even started. I didn’t even stop to think about how going to a new team would be for you, and I threw your feelings in your face in front of everyone. Things you talked to me about in private.” He said. You nodded along to his apology, remaining silent throughout the entirety of it. When he finished, he looked up at you, hoping you’d say something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that it?” You question, almost rudely.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What else?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we okay?” He asks shyly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know Seonghwa. You humiliated me not once, but twice, in front of at least eight other people I had only just met. I’m trying to find a place on this team, and as soon as you realize who I am, you tried to place me beneath you. I already feel the bullshit being the only girl here. Don’t make me feel like scum because your masculinity was a little threatened. I can keep up with anyone out here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My masculinity wasn’t threatened.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. I’m sure it wasn’t.” You mocked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I treated you like that. I know you can keep up with any of us, and you’re probably better than a few of us. I don’t know. I couldn’t bring myself to watch you the past few days. It was weird.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Weird why?” You scoff. “Because your </span>
  <em>
    <span>precious </span>
  </em>
  <span>girlfriend, who beat you in a foot race mind you, could play a sport as </span>
  <em>
    <span>brutish </span>
  </em>
  <span>as full contact ice hockey?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, yes, but in my head it was worded differently. This sport is fucking intense, as you know. Most guys we play don’t let up just because you’re a girl.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“WHO THE FUCK CARES IF I’M A GIRL, SEONGHWA THAT’S MY ENTIRE FUCKING POINT.” You’ve finally lost your patience with his toxic masculinity. You take a second to steel your expression before you continue. “I can do whatever these boys can do and I can take whatever hit these boys want to throw at me. I’ve been playing my entire. fucking. life. I’m not going to apologize for doing something I love.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, and I’m sorry. I wanted to explain why I was shocked. I know you can keep up with these guys, and honestly, Hongjoong’s been on my ass since the incident Wednesday but he didn’t think my apology was sufficient.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Does he know about us?” You ask.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do the guys on your team know that we were seeing each other?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They knew I was seeing </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone. </span>
  </em>
  <span>But no. They don’t know it’s you. They just gathered that we know each other.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you going to tell them?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It depends.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“On?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You called yourself my girlfriend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought I was.” You said meekly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We hadn’t made it official.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So that’s why you didn’t tell them?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I didn’t tell them, because then they’d rip my ass even harder because I hit my fucking girlfriend because I was being a giant asshole when I got threatened a little.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell them.” You demanded quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You want us to be good? Tell them. Today. You know they’re all waiting in the locker room. Let’s go back and you can tell them that you were a giant asshole that was threatened by his girlfriend playing on his hockey team.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. Let’s go.” He resolves, standing up and offering you his hand. You ignore it and gesture toward the locker room, urging him forward. The two of you make your way back into the locker room. When you opened the door, you’re met with eleven additional pairs of eyes looking at you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You guys figure your shit out?” Yeosang asks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We did.” You say with a nod.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to tell you guys something.” Seonghwa starts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not now you don’t. We’re going home and not listening to your bullshit. Tell us after we win tomorrow.” Hongjoong says with resolution, and everyone knows the conversation is over. Everyone files out of the locker room with their bags and sticks, bidding each other goodbye and see you tomorrow. Once everyone leaves, Seonghwa crowds into your personal space, wanting to wrap you in his arms again. You put a hand on his chest, stopping his advance.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please tell me we’re okay.” Seonghwa pleads quietly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll tell you after we win tomorrow.” You whisper, leaning up on your tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his forehead. At that, you gather your bag and stick, leaving a stunned Seonghwa alone in the locker room.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, I'm going to let this cool down a bit, considering I've written and posted the first three chapters just today, and honestly, I really want to write out both of these games in their entirety. Seonghwa has a lot of growing left to do and that will become apparent as the chapters progress. </p>
<p>I hope you like what's up so far. Leave me comments and kudos and tell me if I'm not making any sense or if you like it. </p>
<p>You can also come find me on Twitter: @armystaytiny</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. We Are Gonna Win...right?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“You know you’re pretty easy to read, right?” San jokes. “But if you’re not ready to tell me, that’s fine. Let’s go. My parents are worried and won’t go to sleep until they know you’re safe.”</p><p>“Can I stay with you?” You whisper. You look up to find San looking at you softly.</p><p>“You were coming to our house regardless.” He answers, pulling you into a hug. He kisses the top of your head when you exhale into his chest.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>San nods at your thanks and grabs your skates from the ground. Picking up your stick, you follow him and load yourself and your things into his car. You blink and before you know it, San is picking you up out of the passenger seat and taking you into his family home. You vaguely register whispers of “oh good, you found her” and “I swear to god San I’m going to kill her” before you were being laid down in San’s bed. The last thing you remember before drifting off again is San’s faint whisper in your hair.</p><p>“It’ll all be okay.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>buckle up, we have some feels, folks</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the first time in a while, your night was anything but restful. You replayed the conversation you had with Seonghwa a million times over in your head before you gave up on the hope of getting sleep. Knowing you had a key in your bag for the rink, you grabbed your skates, stick, and gloves, deciding to get in some extra practice. </p><p> </p><p>When you got to the rink, the clock on your dashboard said 12:38am and it was now pushing 4:00am. Your muscles were yelling at you for a break and you were going to listen to them, as the voices in your head started to quiet. You hopped off of the ice and hobbled your way over to the lobby to take your skates off.</p><p> </p><p>“How long have you been here?” You gasp at the unexpected voice and clutch at your chest.</p><p> </p><p>“How long have <em> you </em>been here?” You ask the ‘intruder.’</p><p> </p><p>“You first.” San demands of you.</p><p> </p><p>“Got here at 12:30.” You said, nonchalantly. You refused to meet San’s eyes because you know he’s looking at you with a mix of shock and a little bit of pity. You wanted none of that. “You?”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve been here for about an hour. I was going to let you notice me on your own, but you didn’t even look up the whole time.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was in the zone.”</p><p> </p><p>“You were in your head.” He counters. “What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean ‘<em> what happened’” </em> you asked. “I couldn’t sleep and figured <em> hey, why not come get some extra practice in </em> ? <em> Clearly you need it.” </em> </p><p> </p><p>“You usually don’t have trouble sleeping before games. Why now?”</p><p> </p><p>“How did you find me?” You attempted to divert.</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t show up for dinner and you didn’t answer me or Jongho when we called. You also weren’t home. Figured this is the only place you’d be.” San answered as if it was obvious. “I told Jongho you were fine, by the way. You’re welcome. He was about to file a missing person’s report.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks,” you grumbled. </p><p> </p><p>“You gonna tell me why you’re here and not sleeping?” San probed. You shook your head. “Is it Seonghwa?” </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Silence. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“You know you’re pretty easy to read, right?” San jokes. “But if you’re not ready to tell me, that’s fine. Let’s go. My parents are worried and won’t go to sleep until they know you’re safe.”</p><p> </p><p>“Can I stay with you?” You whisper. You look up to find San looking at you softly.</p><p> </p><p>“You were coming to our house regardless.” He answers, pulling you into a hug. He kisses the top of your head when you exhale into his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>San nods at your thanks and grabs your skates from the ground. Picking up your stick, you follow him and load yourself and your things into his car. You blink and before you know it, San is picking you up out of the passenger seat and taking you into his family home. You vaguely register whispers of “oh good, you found her” and “I swear to god San I’m going to kill her” before you were being laid down in San’s bed. The last thing you remember before drifting off again is San’s faint whisper in your hair.</p><p> </p><p>“It’ll all be okay.”</p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>You wake up five hours later to an empty bed and a massive headache. You really should have made better choices and not skated for so long last night. You grab your phone (which thankfully San plugged in, bless him) and started checking your notifications. You dismissed the missed notifications from Jongho and San, but a few caught your eye as you scrolled.</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [01:46am]: Wooyoung called me and said San can’t find you.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [01:47am]: I hope you’re just sleeping and not in trouble.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Missed call from Seonghwa [01:50am] </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [01:56am]: Please clal me. Now I’m worried.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [01:56am]: Call*</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [04:58am]: Glad you’re okay. I’m sorry.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [05:00am]: I would have come practice with you.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>To Seonghwa [09:37am]: Had a lot on my mind. Rink was my safe place. </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>To Seonghwa [09:39am]: thank you though :) </b>
</p><p> </p><p>You rolled out of bed and threw your hair into a messy bun, fished your glasses out of your overnight bag (wait-overnight bag? Thank you San) and headed downstairs to join the commotion that was breakfast at the Choi’s.</p><p> </p><p>“I hate you, you know that right?” Jongho grumbled over his eggs.</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up.” Mr. Choi said, swatting at his youngest son’s head. Jongho mumbled something intelligible that sounded like “I was fuckin’ worried” and you looked down with a small smile as you sat at your place.</p><p> </p><p>“Sweetheart,” Mrs. Choi addressed you, “will your mother be at the games this afternoon?”</p><p> </p><p>You nodded with a full mouth of eggs and toast and shot your second mother your best happy face. You loved how close your mom was to the family you spent so much time with. </p><p> </p><p>“Wonderful. Don’t worry, we won’t mention last night,” she assured you. You had almost forgotten how you ended up at the Choi’s last night. You rushed a quick thanks and finished your breakfast, wanting to shower and mentally prepare yourself for the games today.</p><p> </p><p>When you got back to your room, you checked your phone to see another missed text from Seonghwa:</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [10:27am]: Thank you for hearing me out yesterady.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Seonghwa [10:27am]: Yesterday*</b>
</p><p> </p><p>You giggled at how punctual he was and felt the familiar butterflies in your stomach that you felt when you were getting to know each other. You left him on ‘Read’ and hopped into the shower to start your game day routine, a small smile adorning your face.</p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Stepping foot in the locker room for the first time as a Star was extremely daunting. You’d only ever known your old team, but that is no longer. The only remnants remaining were the four other teammates who sucked up their pride and came along too. You had heard a few others had joined the Predators and some had just simply requested a refund of their fees and called it a season. You were far more nervous than you had anticipated as the Chois drove you all to the rink. </p><p> </p><p>When you got into the locker room, however, you felt your nerves melt away. Your bag was unpacked (along with everyone else’s) and your gear was hanging professionally in your changing area, as well as a deep green jersey. You grasped at the material, letting the mesh run through your hand. You couldn’t help but smile as you flipped the jersey around to see your last name as well as your familiar number 71 stitched into the back. Your white and green socks were folded neatly on the mat at your feet, flanked on either side by your ice skates. While you knew the Stars did things differently than your old team, this made you feel an excited sense of anxiety that it was real. It felt <em> good </em>to be here, for the first time in a while.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey” you jump slightly at the familiar deep voice behind you. “Sorry, hah, I didn’t expect to see anyone here this early.”</p><p> </p><p>“We were told to be here at noon.” You answer Seonghwa.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but everyone just usually sits in the stands.”</p><p> </p><p>“I needed a minute.”</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?” You nod and acknowledge his concern. “Are we okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“It depends.” You say with a small smile.</p><p> </p><p>“On…?”</p><p> </p><p>“How today goes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Are you telling me the fate of our relationship depends on if we win today?” He asked incredulously, your smile widening at the annoyance creeping into his voice. You spin around and look at him for the first time today (and d a m n) and step a bit closer to him. You hear his breath hitch in his throat and you put your arms around his neck. Leaning in, you can tell he’s doing the same. You stop just shy of his soft lips and you can tell he’s waiting for you to close the distance.</p><p> </p><p>“I guess you better play well, big boy,” you whisper against his mouth, puckering and connecting your lips. Before he realizes what’s happening, you’ve pulled away and are retreating for the door. You looked back as you opened the door to see him gaping at you, still trying to process what just happened. You shot him a wink and let the door fall closed behind you, smirking to yourself as you make your way to your teammates in the stands. </p><p> </p><p>Seonghwa follows a few moments later, sitting next to Hongjoong in the row behind you. You feel him lean down to speak lowly in your ear. “I’ll remember that, baby.” The pet name sends a shiver racking down your spine and you want nothing more than to tilt your head back and kiss him (Spider Man style of course), but you refrain. You have an audience that doesn’t know about your past, and you’re not sure how your friends, especially San and Zuho, will react after the things Seonghwa did in your first practice. You can feel Seonghwa’s eyes burning holes in the back of your head and you just <em> know </em>he has a smug smile on his face. You decide to not pay him any mind and focus on the game in front of you, mentally preparing for the day ahead. </p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>An hour and a half later, you were fully dressed for your game and ready to go. Your green jersey fit just right and you looked like you’d been a part of this team for years instead of a few days. You stood beside Jongho, Mingi and Yunho as you discussed defensive strategies for the team you were about to face. At a lull in your talk, you felt a presence behind you and you turned to find Seonghwa standing there staring at the ice, seemingly in the zone.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay, cap?” You ask with a grin, ignoring the mumbles of “he’s not the captain” from Yunho and Mingi.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m good.” He replies shortly, not meeting your eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“They’re good. We’ve got our work cut out for us, but they picked up Josh and Seokmin from my old team, and I know how they play. We’ll be fine.” You assured.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not entirely all that’s on my mind, but that does ease the professional side of me,” He replies, acknowledging your semi scouting report. You arch your eyebrows and urge him to continue. He takes a deep breath and continues, eyes meeting yours with an intense stare. “I’m worried about you.” You roll your eyes and open your mouth to protest. “Hear me out,” he pleads. You nod. “I’ve just had this bad feeling about today and I think it has something to do with you. I just don’t want you to get hurt.” He finishes with a whisper.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of arguing with him like you <em> desperately </em>want to do, you take a beat and compose yourself. “Thank you for your concern. I’ve played these guys before. They’re not bad guys. But if it makes you feel better, I won’t do anything reckless. Good?” He nods and lets a deep sigh escape his lips. “Let’s go get this ‘W’ so you can take me out properly.” You finish with a wink. Seonghwa lets out a chuckle and agrees with a hum.</p><p> </p><p>You watch the Zamboni make its way around the ice, providing a new smooth surface for the skaters about to take the rink. Once the doors are securely shut, you step on the ice, feeling the glide of your skates and the familiar coolness. You allow yourself a quick glance into the stands and locate your mom smiling proudly next to Mrs. Choi. A few rows down from them, you see a group of girls around your age, two of which are holding up signs: one for Yunho and one for Jungkook. You smile in their general direction and shoot a sly snicker toward a blushing Yunho.</p><p> </p><p>“You know, earlier this week, I was going to ask you to be up there sitting with the girlfriends,” Seonghwa says, skating up to you.</p><p> </p><p>“Disappointed?” You ask.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope, this is better.” He says resolutely. You shoot him a million dollar smile as the whistle blows to signify that the game is about to start. Sehun had determined that you and Jongho would be the defensive pair to start the game, and the forwards would be Yeosang, Hongjoong, and Seonghwa. The referee verifies that the goalies are set, and with another quick blow of the whistle, the puck is dropped and the game begins. </p><p> </p><p>Hongjoong wins the faceoff back to Jongho who passes it along the wall up to Yeosang. You see Seokmin lining up a hit on your small forward, who passes the puck back to Hongjoong before he’s hit into the wall. He shakes his head at the impact, trying to regain his bearings, but you knew just how well Seokmin could hit. His accuracy and power were unmatched by many. Yeosang, slightly dazed, took the opportunity to head to the bench, knowing that staying on the ice could cause more harm than good. Taeyong quickly takes his place and jumps up in the play for Yeosang. </p><p> </p><p>The game buzzed on with both teams making fantastic blocks and goalies making outrageous saves that even those players in the NHL could have issues with. Eventually, Yeosang (who only needed a shift to regain himself) was the one to break the tie, with a perfectly placed “pass” that bounced off of the defender’s skate and under the goalie’s pads. You celebrated from your bench as the game sped on.</p><p> </p><p>The Predators ended up scoring two goals, and you added on an additional three, making the final score 4-2. You celebrated with your team and congratulated your goalie for a spectacular game as you retreated to the locker room to prepare for your next game. You had a game off so you decided to go sit with Jongho, San, and the three adults while you wait. You take off your upper layer of pads and put your skate guards on, walking your way to the bleachers to join your two friends. </p><p> </p><p>After about ten minutes, you hear someone clear their throat next to you.</p><p> </p><p>“Mind if I join you guys?” Seonghwa asks.</p><p> </p><p>“No, please,” Mrs. Choi says, beckoning Seonghwa to sit and join your conversation. “We’re the Chois and this is Y/N’s mom. What’s your name, sweet boy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Seonghwa, nice to meet you all.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mama,” you address your mother, “this is that boy I’ve been seeing,” you whisper to her.</p><p> </p><p>“This is him?” She exclaims happily. You notice San and Jongho giving you questioning looks out of the corner of your eye. “Oh it’s so very nice to meet you, sweetheart,” she addresses Seonghwa, “she’s done nothing except rave about you for the past two months!”</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me, you want to clue us in here?” San interrupts your mom’s gushing.</p><p> </p><p>“Not really, no.” Seonghwa answers for you.</p><p> </p><p>“She can speak for herself, thanks.” Jongho supplies unhelpfully. </p><p> </p><p>“Jongho, be nice,” his mother scolds. Seonghwa looks at you for affirmation and you nod, giving him the permission he needed to tell your two closest friends about your past. </p><p> </p><p>“We’d been seeing each other for the past few months. Before we ‘met’ Wednesday.” Seonghwa starts.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait a second,” San says, “you put a body check on your <em> girlfriend </em>in practice?”</p><p> </p><p>“San,” you warn.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s why you disappeared last night after your talk with him.”</p><p> </p><p>“You disappeared?” Your mom asks you.</p><p> </p><p>“Fuckin’ hell, San,” you breathe, “I thought we weren’t gonna talk about this.”</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t you tell us about him before?” Jongho asks calmly.</p><p> </p><p>“We wanted to see how it was going to go.” You shrug. “But anyway, we’re together, and part of the agreement we came to last night was him telling the entirety of the team about us and letting them give him so much shit for the same reason. So don’t tell the others or you’ll regret it,” you threaten your friends without thinking twice and you hear Seonghwa squawk in the background at your admission.</p><p> </p><p>You continue to watch the game in front of you in peace, only changing your attention when one of the adults ask a question and you start small conversations. Before you know it, your time to relax has come and gone and the four of you start to make your way back to the locker room. San and Jongho went in ahead of you and you felt yourself being stopped by a tug on your wrist. You turn and look at Seonghwa, waiting. </p><p> </p><p>“We’re together?”</p><p> </p><p>“You didn’t know?” You joke.</p><p> </p><p>“God you’re frustrating,” he laughs, “I’ve been thinking for days I have no chance with you at all after how I acted and you just act like it’s not a huge deal.”</p><p> </p><p>“I just need you to respect me, Seonghwa, that’s all I’ve always needed. Just because you were a dick doesn’t mean I’m going to drop you like that.” You promise.</p><p> </p><p>“Please, <em> please </em>let me kiss you. Right now.” He pleads.</p><p> </p><p>“Just one,” you say, smiling up at him. He steps forward, crowding you slightly against the wall. He cups your face between his hands, like he did before everything went to hell in a handbasket, and he brings his lips to yours. They taste sweet as ever as you relish in the warmth that is and has always been Seonghwa. He’s your fresh breeze on a warm spring day, moving the stale winter air from your lungs and filling them with life and love. You smile into the kiss and feel him do the same. You hear the locker room door open and he breaks away from you as Hongjoong’s head pops out.</p><p> </p><p>“Everything okay?” He asks.</p><p> </p><p>“Perfect,” Seonghwa responds without taking his eyes off of you.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay great, get in here. We have shit to discuss.” Hongjoong orders. The locker room door shuts behind him and you let out a quiet giggle, falling into Seonghwa slightly. He wraps his arms around your shoulders and directs you in the direction of the locker room. </p><p> </p><p>*****</p><p> </p><p>Coach Sehun goes through the next game plan, and you know you have your work cut out for you with the Capitals. This team is even more physical than the previous team you faced, and they have a reputation of being kind of dirty. Nobody particularly enjoyed playing them, but you had to play them multiple times every year as they were in the same league as you.</p><p> </p><p>You step on the ice after Seonghwa and go through your quick warm up routine, preparing yourself for the physicality of the game. Hongjoong ended up getting kicked out of the faceoff circle for starting too early, so being the second best at faceoffs, you replaced him to take the opening draw. You locked eyes with a nasty center known as Kihyun and he flashed you a devilish smile. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh they let you keep playing?” He sneers.</p><p> </p><p>“I could say the same about you, sweetheart,” you respond with a saccharine smile.</p><p> </p><p>“You don’t belong here. This is a boy’s sport. Do we need to show you what we mean?” He threatens. </p><p> </p><p>You smile as wide as you can as the referee drops the puck and you win the faceoff back to Hongjoong. “You can show me if you can catch me,” you wink at him before skating after your team.</p><p> </p><p>As expected, the game was physical. Their captain, Shownu, tried to take a run at one of your lower line centers, and the rest of your team on the ice took exception, crowding him into the wall before the referees separated all of you.</p><p> </p><p>You took the ice for one of your final shifts in the second period and you found yourself with the puck. You had a lot of open ice in front of you, so you started skating, your head on a swivel looking for a pass. What you didn’t see, however, was Kihyun lining up a hit full speed. You passed the puck up to Hongjoong who was streaking through the middle of the ice with his stick tapping furiously. Seconds later, you turned your head and couldn’t brace yourself in time for impact. You don’t remember the exact sequence of events, but you saw the quick center launch himself at you and you felt the impact of Kihyun’s body on yours. Your head makes contact with the unforgiving wall and then your body crumples to the ice, motionless. </p><p> </p><p>You faintly hear a distant whistle and the telltale sign of many pairs of skates hitting the ice before you slipped into the darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm so sorry Kihyun and the rest of Monsta X, but you're going to be the ongoing assholes in this story.</p><p>Twitter: @armystaytiny</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. i'm the bad guy...duh</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Gosh, I’m so sorry. I’ll think of you next time I take an unprecedented hit,” you remark sarcastically, mood souring and causing your heart rate to elevate. The only reason you know that is the annoying incessant beeping that tends to get louder.</p>
<p>“Sir, what are you doing to her?” Adeline chimes in, alerted by your beeping monitor.</p>
<p>“Absolutely nothing,” San replies sweetly, earning a scoff and eye roll from you and Seonghwa. </p>
<p>“Then why did her heart rate elevate as soon as you were allowed back here?”</p>
<p>“Pure coincidence.” He shrugs.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kind of a filler fluffy chapter that took me way too long</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When you wake up, you notice you’re no longer in the rink. You were in a sterile, white, bleak hospital room under uncomfortable thin blankets, and you were alone. You looked to your left hand and noticed the IV that you were hooked up to, and you felt the cool sensation of the liquid entering your veins. You turned your head to your right and winced as a sharp burst of pain shot up your neck and into the base of your skull. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh right...you hit your head</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>You used your right hand to hit the call button and within 30 seconds, you were face to face with a concerned, yet pleased nurse.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh good, you’re awake,” she beamed. “My name is Adeline and I’m your nurse. Can I get you anything?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Water would be great,” you rasped quietly. Adeline nodded and scurried out of the room to fetch your water. Upon her return, you asked about your mom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Honey she’s in the waiting room. Would you like me to get her?” You nodded, and again Adeline left. You closed your eyes while you waited and what felt like an hour later, a pair of strong, warm arms wrapped themselves around your shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not my mom,” you said, trying to lighten the mood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, do you want me to get her?” Seonghwa said quietly. “She said I could come back and see you first.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re not leaving me.” You pouted. You scooted to your left, mindful of your IV, to make room for your significantly taller and broader boyfriend. He looked at the vacant space hesitantly before gently joining you in the bed. You turn to him and finagle your way into his arms, sighing happily as you nuzzle into his shoulder. He presses a sweet, barely there kiss to your hair and you just lay with him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How did it go?” You asked after a while.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know.” He said with a slight shrug.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I left the game,” Seonghwa replied as if it was obvious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My girlfriend was unconscious and not in a good place. There’s no way I would have been able to continue playing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hwa,” you whispered, snuggling closer. You struggled to find the words to convey how thankful you were that he’s here with you, but luckily, he knew by the way you squeezed your arms around his middle and pressed yourself impossibly closer. You tilted your chin up to look at his sharp jawline and handsome features and he met your eyes with a soft smile. He leans down and presses his lips against yours briefly. You lean into the touch and you smile against his mouth. You pull away slightly and look into his eyes, getting lost in his beautiful warm brown eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahem,” you hear an exaggerated cough from the doorway and you refuse to acknowledge San’s presence. He clears his throat again annoyingly and you huff, turning to him with a glare.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so rude, what the fuck?” You question.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, I’m rude,” he scoffs, “whereas you’re inconveniencing my entire schedule being in this shitty place.” He retorts with an eye roll. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gosh, I’m so sorry. I’ll think of you next time I take an unprecedented hit,” you remark sarcastically, mood souring and causing your heart rate to elevate. The only reason you know that is the annoying incessant beeping that tends to get louder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sir, what are you doing to her?” Adeline chimes in, alerted by your beeping monitor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely nothing,” San replies sweetly, earning a scoff and eye roll from you and Seonghwa. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then why did her heart rate elevate as soon as you were allowed back here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pure coincidence.” He shrugs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sweetheart, do you want me to kick him out?” She asks you, and you look to San with a mischievous glint in your eye. San starts to look panicked and you wink at him before responding that he doesn’t need to leave but you’ll let him know if he becomes more of a nuisance.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ass,” he grumbles when Adeline leaves the three of you alone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where’s Jongho?” You inquire.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Out in the lobby still. He was filling everyone in on what happened after you were taken.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mind sharing with the class?” You ask cheekily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He was taken care of,” San remarks with a dismissive wave. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What does that mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The refs kicked him out, obviously, and I heard Sehun insisting heavily that they submit an incident report to the league asking for suspension. That hit was bullshit and he deserves to never put on skates again in an organized hockey league,” San explains, the situation obviously a sensitive one for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a little harsh of a punishment, don’t you think?” You prompt.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He blindsighted you. You were unconscious. You didn’t see Hongjoong trying to hold the terrible trees back from going after both Kihyun and Shownu,” you chuckle at San’s name for Yunho and Mingi, envisioning your tiny captain physically restraining the two giant boys. You feel the telltale rumble of Seonghwa’s chest as he laughs along with you, seemingly picturing the same. “It looks like you two are doing just chummy,” San adds with a smirk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah? What was your first clue?” You ask, leaning up again to capture Seonghwa’s lips in a surprise kiss. You were able to elicit a barely there squeak from your boyfriend as you test your luck and deepen the kiss. Seonghwa indulges you for a few moments and you hear San gagging in the background.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You two are gross and kind of adorable, but the moms are on the way in so you may want to cool it,” you hear Jongho warn from the doorway. You separate your lips from Seonghwa and hear him let out a grumpy sigh from next to you, making the corners of your mouth twitch into a smile. You send a silent ‘thank you’ to Jongho and a glare to San as if saying ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>that is how you announce yourself, asswagon</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ and turn your attention to your mom and Mrs. Choi who are in the process of making their way over to where you and Seonghwa are laying on the bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can get up,” Seonghwa offers. You whine in protest before he starts to move away from you, knowing that it probably doesn’t look good for your boyfriend, who your mother just met earlier that day, to be laying in your hospital bed with you. He sits down in the chair next to you, grasping your hand with both of his and refusing to let go as you hug your mom and Mrs. Choi. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Your mom gushes at you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine mama,” you try to assure her, “it didn’t even hurt.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up, you were unconscious,” Jongho and San protest in unison.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously, yes, shut up.” Seonghwa parrots. You pout at them as your mom flits around the room, making sure that you’re comfortable. As she’s doing that, Adeline returns with what looks to be your next round of medication. You take it happily, noticing that you’ve got a killer headache and you’re just sore all over. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Doctor Kim should be in short- oh, here he is,” she says as your doctor breaches the threshold of your room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi, how are you feeling?” Doctor Kim asks, sending you a smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve got a headache and I’m just overall sore, but I think it could be worse, so I’m okay,” you answer honestly, feeling Seonghwa tense up around your hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“To be expected from everything your mother told me. You apparently took a huge hit that you weren’t prepared for and you hit your head on the ice hard.” You nodded at the doctor’s words, confirming what he was reciting to you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Since you lost consciousness and you still have a headache, we’d like to keep you here overnight for observation. Concussions are unpredictable and we can never be too cautious with head injuries in general.” You nod again, acknowledging his treatment plan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we able to stay with her?” Your mom asks the doctor.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Our overnight observation rooms will accommodate one additonal visitor, so you would be able to stay with her, yes,” Adeline chimes in with a smile. Your mom releases a breath and nods. You squeeze Seonghwa’s hand reassuringly, knowing he’s upset that you have to stay and that he won’t be able to keep you company.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If all goes well throughout the night, you should be discharged either late tomorrow morning or early in the afternoon. We’re optimistic that you’ll be fine, but again, we can never be too sure. You also have a few deeply bruised ribs on your left side, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to see a chiropractor when you’re discharged, but we can discuss that more tomorrow.” He turns to the remaining people in the room and addresses them. “Would you all please step outside? I have a few things that I’d like to go over with my patient and her mother.” Everyone nods and quickly and quietly shuffles out of the room, Seonghwa leaving you only after pressing a kiss to your forehead and squeezing your hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once everyone is out, he turns back to you. “Have you ever had a concussion before?” He asks and you shake your head no. “Okay, a concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury. Our biggest giveaway was that you lost consciousness. Have you been nauseous or have you had ringing in your ears?” You nod, having experienced both of those things since waking up. “Those are all pretty common signs and symptoms that you’ve indeed got a concussion. They’re usually better in about seven to ten days, but to be safe and since yours seems on the more severe side, I’d like you to refrain from physical activities for at least two weeks.” Tears fill your eyes as you think about how to tell your teammates that you’ll be out for that long. You nod, acknowledging the doctor’s request. “I’m also requesting a follow up around that time where we’ll reevaluate. X-Ray shows you don’t have any broken bones, just the bruising, but you’ll probably be sore for a while as your body recuperates. We’ll obviously administer pain medication while you’re here as well as prescribe medication for when you’re discharged as well.” You nod again, absorbing the information that Doctor Kim is presenting to you.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tonight probably won’t be a good night for you, full disclosure,” Doctor Kim continues. “Drowsiness is a large symptom in concussions and you’re going to want to sleep. We’ll be waking you up every hour and a half just to make sure everything is still in order and that everything is fine with you. We understand that you need your rest, but it is imperative that we wake you frequently.” Your eyes widen at this news and your breathing intensifies. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“O-okay. Thank you.” You croak.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have any questions?” You shake your head and the doctor nods, handing your mother the folder with all of the information he just presented to you as well as literature about concussions and bone bruising. “Okay, well visiting hours are still going on until nine, so I’ll let your friends back in for a while so you can hang out with them.” Doctor Kim says with a slight bow, retreating from the room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once the door is open and Doctor Kim makes his exit, your friends are piling back in. After explaining the treatment plan for the evening, you settle back into easy conversation with everyone. Before you know it, it’s time for people to leave and you feel an anxiety in the pit of your stomach at having to say goodbye to Seonghwa for the night. San, Jongho and their parents say their goodbyes with various cheek and forehead kisses and “let us know if you need anything”s and your mom offers to give you a minute alone for Seonghwa to say goodbye.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hate that I can’t stay here with you tonight,” he says into your temple. You nod, not able to find the words. “You have your phone, right?” You nod. “I gave my number to your mom. She promised to text me with updates and I promise I’ll be here as soon as they let me in the morning,” he says and you can hear the motion in his voice. He leaves your room after a few gentle reminders from Adeline and a few not-so-gentle kisses against your lips, promising a ‘see you soon’ as he retreats. Your mom reenters and pulls you into a soft hug as you cry gently into her shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Doctor Kim told you that the night wouldn’t be entirely pleasant, he wasn’t exaggerating. You felt extremely tired but the words he left you with the day before played over and over, preventing you from letting yourself fall asleep. As promised, they were in there every hour, waking both you and your mother up for your vitals and testing. Also as promised, you were administered various medications to control the pain you were feeling. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finally though, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was morning. Morning meant going home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Morning meant Seonghwa.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Your mom scurried around your room, packing your things and awaiting Doctor Kim’s discharge statement while you waited for Seonghwa to arrive. You heard a knock at your door and you looked up at a smiling Seonghwa, but something wasn’t right.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seonghwa?” You question.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, love?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <span>“Why </span>
  <em>
    <span>the fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> do you have a black eye?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Not gonna lie, I'm not super wild about this chapter, but I think it was kind of necessary. It also took me a ridiculously long time to come up with it. When I tell you I've rewritten it four times, I'm not exaggerating. I had a whole chapter written with Seonghwa's point of view and deleted it because I hated it so much. </p>
<p>Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. We've got some R&amp;R coming and some pouty reader action and some more angst and fluff, but we'll get there. </p>
<p>Comments and kudos keep me going. Let me know how you like the story or if you want to see anything. You can find me on twitter @armystaytiny</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. I Can't Stand the Pain</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>**TW - DEROGATORY USE OF THE WORD DYKE - skip the summary and the flashback (in italics) if that's a sensitive word for you**</p>
<p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p>
<p>“Girlfriend?” Kihyun jabs. “That bitch is your girlfriend? God, Park, I thought you had higher standards than some dyke who thinks she can play with the boys,” Kihyun sneers.</p>
<p>“So you think putting someone in the hospital with an illegal hit is something worth cheering about?”</p>
<p>“I told her she couldn’t handle it with the big boys.” He shrugged, “guess I was right.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>***TRIGGER WARNING - derogatory use of the word dyke. As stated in the chapter summary, skip the block of italics if this is triggering for you***</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Don’t make me ask again,” you plead with your silent boyfriend after you were settled in at his apartment. He refused to answer you in the hospital despite the questions from your mom and nurses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please don’t worry about it. Everything is fine, I am fine, it’s just superficial,” Seonghwa reasons, putting his arms on your shoulders and rubbing them soothingly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You’ve been gone for less than twelve hours, Seonghwa,” you say, voice rising in volume, “and you come back to me with a fucking black eye and refuse to tell me what happened. Were you in a fight?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You’re met with silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You were in a goddamn fight, weren’t you Seonghwa,” you demand deadpan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“With who?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hongjoong was there.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? Please tell me you’re joking. <em> Please </em>.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I won’t lie to you,” he dismisses.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“But you won’t tell me what the fuck happened,” you remark sarcastically.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Because it’s not important,” he tries to reason.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You try a different approach. You move toward him, cupping his face in your hands. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Baby, I’m just worried about you. Your pretty face is all marked up,” you pout. He gives you a skeptical look. “Please tell me what happened.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Promise you won’t get upset?” He sighs, defeated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll try.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hongjoong texted me as we were waiting for you in the hall. Said he overheard some of the guys talking about meeting Kihyun at the gym later to blow off steam since he had to leave the game early. I wasn’t sure what time they were going to meet him or if they were actually going to do that. So I went. I went to the gym.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Were you alone?” You whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hongjoong, Mingi, and Jungkook were there with me.” He said, shaking his head. He turned you around so your back was against his chest on the couch, carding his fingers through your hair softly, allowing him to talk softly in your ear. On any other day, the action would be endearing and you loved the soft side of him, but now you need to hear this.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Baby, please relax.” He says, rubbing your stomach with one hand and your shoulder with the other. You nod slightly and urge him to continue.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I had extra workout clothes in my car so I went in. I picked a machine close to his and just worked out. I knew I wasn’t going to sleep anyway and the gym is open 24 hours.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>

<p></p><blockquote>
  <p><em> Seonghwa let out deep breaths as he upped the weights on the machine again, preparing for his third set of repetitions. He stole glances at Kihyun every now and then, part of him hoping that he would make a snide comment. He hears the door open and in walks Mingi and Jungkook. He shoots them a nod, acting like he </em> didn’t <em> know they were going to be there. They were chatting animatedly with each other as Seonghwa continued with his workout, always keeping Kihyun in his sights.  </em></p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em> “Why are you here? Didn’t you guys play multiple hockey games today?” Kihyun prompts. Hongjoong and Jungkook shrug him off and continue with their workouts. Something along the line of “the grind stops for nobody” came from Mingi’s direction. Kihyun looked to Seonghwa expectantly, waiting for his answer. </em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em> “I didn’t get to finish my game.” Seonghwa sneered. </em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em> “Oh yeah? Couldn’t hang?” Kihyun teased sarcastically. Seonghwa let the weights clatter and stood up quickly, approaching Kihyun in three intimidating strides.  </em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em> “No, you fuckwad. My girlfriend was put in the hospital by some asswagon with a gender superiority complex. For some reason, this prick couldn’t handle that a girl was able to skate circles around him.” Seonghwa hissed.  </em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em> “Girlfriend?” Kihyun jabs. “That bitch is your girlfriend? God, Park, I thought you had higher standards than some dyke who thinks she can play with the boys,” Kihyun sneers.</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em>“So you think putting someone in the hospital with an illegal hit is something worth cheering about?”</em>
  </p>
  <p> </p>
  <p>
    <em>“I told her she couldn’t handle it with the big boys.” He shrugged, “guess I was right.”</em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p>
<p>“I just saw red,” Seonghwa finishes. You were speechless. You knew being one of the only girls on the team came with comments like this, but nothing could have prepared you for the animosity of Kihyun’s words.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Who started it?” You ask.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Honestly I was shocked that he had the balls to say something like that. I think Hongjoong landed the first punch, I pulled him off of Kihyun and then I punched him once in the nose. He landed this one and then it was over.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“That was it?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. Plus he’s the type of bitch to press charges. At least now we got one punch each and he has no case.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I wish you wouldn’t have.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I won’t even pretend to be sorry, babe.” He shrugs, kissing your shoulder.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thank you, though.” You feel him nod against your back and press sweet kisses there. You revel in the attention he was giving you and allow yourself to be coddled. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I stay here tonight?” You ask after a few moments of silence.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I thought that was a given,” Seonghwa chuckles.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I didn’t want to assume,” you smile. Seonghwa turns you around so you were facing him again and kisses you softly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t want you out of my sight,” he whispers against your lips. You hum happily and let yourself melt against your boyfriend. You spend the remainder of the day watching shows on Netflix and enjoying his company.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m out for the next two weeks at least.” You tell him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Personally, I think it should be more.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“No way. Even those weeks are going to be torture,” you whine. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sure you’ll manage,” he replies with a small smile. You smack his chest lightly before snuggling back into him and letting sleep overcome you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>*****</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t know why you continue to torment yourself,” San says to you from the ice. You were insistent about accompanying Seonghwa to practice against his objections of you staying home.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“If I can’t physically practice, I can at least mentally be here,” you reason with a pout, obviously unhappy with the fact that you’re out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I appreciate that, really I do, but your physical and mental health are important and right now you need rest.” Sehun says, interjecting himself in your conversation.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Coach please. I need this,” you plead.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I don’t want you here this week. Next week you can start coming to sit in on practice and watch, and once your cleared, you can come back to actual practice. You’ll probably be out of games for another week after you come back just so I can make sure everything with you is okay.” He states definitely, earning a pathetic groan from you. He shakes his head and gives you a look that you know means no business.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Can I at least stay for today?” You asked.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Not on the bench. Bleachers.” He concedes while skating in the opposite direction. You groan and meet San’s sympathetic gaze. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Seonghwa skates over to you with an unreadable expression.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Oh don’t look so smug,” you pout at him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I told you that you should be at home resting.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“And I told you no.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Sehun’s right. You have a <em> brain injury, </em>” he enunciates. “At least give it time to heal properly.” Seonghwa doesn’t even give you a chance to respond before he’s skating away with a huff, visibly frustrated. With no other option left, you begrudgingly seat yourself in the stands, now wishing you had something to do to occupy your mind. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>You watched the entirety of practice, making mental notes on new things they were working on and drills that you could use when you were cleared to play. You remained in your spot on the bleachers while everyone else changed and soon you were met with a still frustrated Seonghwa who had approached you with an unreadable expression again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I knew you were stubborn, but I didn’t realize that it was this bad,” he says deadpan.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“What do you mean?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“You were seriously hurt,” he huffs. “You lost consciousness. You were hospitalized. You have a major concussion.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Thanks Doctor Park,” you reply with an eye roll.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Please stop.” He commands, tone taking you off guard. “Stop downplaying and fucking take care of yourself. Give yourself time to heal. Stop being a stubborn brat and listen to Sehun. Coaches are required to take fucking classes on concussion protocol and honestly, if it were me, I’d keep you out longer. This shit is fucking serious and I won’t sit idly by and let you not treat it as such.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>His outburst has you stunned. He’d never raised his voice to you like that. You visibly deflated and felt tears threatening to fall.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Okay,” you whispered, voice small. You felt strong arms wrap themselves around you, squeezing tight, and you let your emotions show, a single tear slipping down your left cheek.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I care about you so fucking much,” Seonghwa whispers in your ear, arms squeezing you every now and then. “You went down and I saw nothing except you crumpling over and over again. I couldn’t even sleep when I got home because every time I closed my eyes, that’s all I could think about. And I got no sleep last night because I needed to make sure you were still breathing. I don’t want to lose you. I <em> won’t </em> lose you. If that means that I need to baby the fuck out of you and <em> make </em>you sit out, I will. I’ll do whatever I have to fucking do to keep you safe.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You sit there silently as his confession sinks in. You felt the power and emotion behind it and you feebly squeeze him back, hoping he understands the gesture to mean “thank you.” He pulls back from you and kisses your forehead, wiping your tears with his thumbs as he cups your face. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“God I just love you so fucking much,” he whispers, pulling you close again. “I was so fucking scared that day. Please just relax and heal. Let me take care of you.” You nod again, finding yourself unable to respond to him. You do the only thing you know to convey that your feelings are reciprocated.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next kiss you two shared was one of the most passionate that has been passed between the two of you.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I love you too.” You finally respond.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>so we found the reasoning behind Seonghwa's black eye, and we have a love confession, yall. Real talk, this is something I struggle with personally as an adult athlete. Even if I'm hurt, I still want to play and my s/o has to talk me down, and he gets extremely frustrated sometimes.</p>
<p>Hope you like the chapter. I think at this point, the story is telling me how it wants to be written instead of me having a well thought out plan. I've learned that if I try and write it instead of it writing me, that I end up canning the entirety of the chapter because it just doesn't /work/</p>
<p>what are your thoughts? is there anything you're confused by at this point? are you enjoying it? let me know in the comments, leave a kudos, and come find me on twitter: @armystaytiny</p>
<p>&lt;3 love you all</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Oliver & Company</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here, have a short fluff chapter to fill the void. I'm starting to think about how to wrap this up and I have a few more chapters in mind so just know we're getting close to the end. I have a big idea brewing, i just need to get it down in my google doc.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>You were good for a few days, and honestly you were surprised that you managed to keep it together that long. You were getting antsy. With 10 days left in your “healing period,” you were starting to go stir crazy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alexa, what are things I can do while I have a concussion?” You talked to nobody physically, but the Echo dot in Seonghwa’s apartment answered you anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>There's no specific cure for concussion. Rest and restricting activities allow the brain to recover. This means one should temporarily reduce sports, -”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alexa stop,” you sigh as the robotic voice ceases and you’re left again in silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alexa, fuck you,” you spit, letting yourself have a mini tantrum.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmmm. Sorry, I don’t know that.” You sigh dramatically as you’re once again propelled into boredom. You were instructed to limit screen time, so you couldn’t really justify watching a movie, especially when Seonghwa comes home and asks what you did. After his blow up the other day, you were really trying to take care of yourself and let yourself be coddled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You looked at your phone. The numbers on your screen were dimmer than you were used to, also Seonghwa’s doing, but they still shone brightly at you that it was 10:45am. Seonghwa would be home in about an hour and he had promised that he had a surprise for you. You decided to lay back down and try to sleep while you waited for him, opting out of watching TV or reading to avoid any unnecessary strain on your eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Baby, wake up. Wake up please,” you hear a soft whisper pulling you out of consciousness, along with a light touch against your cheek. You instinctually leaned into the touch, letting Seonghwa’s soft voice bring you closer to the edge of reality and dreamland. You don’t even remember falling asleep. You figured you’d rest your eyes for a bit until Seonghwa got home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad to see you’re getting some rest,” he chuckles, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You groan and make grabby hands at him, but he doesn’t indulge you. “Nope, get up. I have a surprise for you today.” You perk up slightly at that and it earns another low chuckle from your sweet boyfriend. “Come on. Our appointment is in an hour and a half and you smell.” He jokes, causing you to pout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Help me shower?” You suggest, opening one eye and meeting his gaze challengingly. You hear his breath hitch and he pulls you up gingerly, wrapping his arms around your waist as he kisses you languidly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope.” He whispers against your lips, “because you get distracted too easily.” He pulls back and winks, swatting your butt lightly as he urges you to the shower. You step under the stream that Seonghwa had started for you and let yourself start to wake up. The warm water loosening your muscles and helping you put together coherent thoughts. You didn’t do well in the mornings or right after naps. It took you a solid 30 minutes usually to wake up. Seonghwa was an annoyingly chipper morning person and it usually took all you had not to snap at him before you’ve had your coffee. Somehow he finds you endearing with your bedhead and grumpy pouts as he tries to wake you up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You let your mind wander to what he could possibly have planned. He’s been very adamant about staying low key “for your recovery” so it was shocking to you that he had something surprising set up. You were starting to get excited at the prospect of spending the day </span>
  <em>
    <span>out </span>
  </em>
  <span>with your boyfriend. You finished up in the shower and came out to see that he had laid out your (read: his) favorite pair of jeans and one of his hockey hoodies that he loved on you. You smiled at his thoughtfulness and let your mind wander once again because this now seemed casual. You got dressed, tying your favorite grey converse shoes before meeting him in the living room with an emphatic “ready” (including a cute little flourish that would make him giggle at you). You bounded up to him and threw your arms around his neck, pecking his lips shortly before allowing him to lead you out of his apartment. As always, he opened your car door for you like the perfect gentlemen he was. You buckled in as he slid into the driver’s seat and you were off. You rested your head against the headrest and intertwined your fingers with his, letting his soft humming of a top 40 song lull you into a relaxed trance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You arrived at your destination about 20 minutes later. Once you were out of the car, Seonghwa laced his fingers with yours again and led you inside. It appeared you were in a quaint little cafe and you smiled at his thoughtfulness. It wasn’t somewhere loud and bustling but it was out of his apartment. He gave the hostess his name and flashed his charming smile at her, causing her to blush. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Been there </span>
  </em>
  <span>you thought with a silent chuckle. He squeezed your fingers as the hostess led you into a separate room. You gasped when you got inside. Inside were the cutest, fluffiest, sweetest kitties you’d ever seen and you immediately dropped Seonghwa’s hand when one came up and rubbed against your leg, purring loudly. You knelt down and picked up one that was meowing loudly - an orange tabby kitten with a too long tail and huge ears. He started purring and nuzzling against your cheek and you were enamoured. You pet the sweet orange kitty, who’s name turned out to be Silas for what felt like hours. You were sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by fluffy and loving kitties just loving life when you heard a commotion outside.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut the fuck up San or you’ll ruin the surprise,” you hear Jongho scold his brother. You hear boisterous laughter coming from what sounded like many others and looked over at Seonghwa wide-eyed who was currently shaking his hung head. Before you could question it, seven other boys were joining you in the room. You again look at Seonghwa who shrugged and smiled at you before you were enveloped in a big hug by none other than cuddly Yunho to start, but the rest of them quickly followed. You allowed a single tear to fall which was promptly swept away by San’s skinny fingers as he smiled at you, dimples on full display. After the chorus of “we miss you”s and “how are you feeling”s die down, everyone sips their drinks (where did those come from) and pets the cats, just relaxing with you and each other. Before you know it, you’re being ushered out of the cafe and your clock is showing that it’s dinnertime. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Any of the cats catch your eye?” Seonghwa asks, breaking the comfortable silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah they were all sweet, but I really felt a connection with the cuddly orange kitten,” you smile at how cuddly that sweet kitty was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know all of those cats are up for adoption, right?” He prompts, causing you to fully turn and look at him head on. “If you’re interested in adopting him, we can keep him at my place.” He says with a shrug.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure, Hwa?” You ask. He nods and gestures at his bag.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I grabbed an application on the way out. Plus I think Hongjoong knows a good vet that we could start seeing that’s close.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want to adopt a cat with me?” You state rather than ask, smile threatening to split your face in half. He mirrors your enthusiasm with a shy nod. When the car stops at a stoplight, you lean across the console and press a sweet kiss to his cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Hwa. For today, for this week, for everything. I love you.” He hums in acknowledgement and gives you a sweet eye smile in return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have another surprise for you.” You look at him cautiously prompting him to continue. “I had a meeting with Hongjoong and Sehun today. Since you’ve been recovering well, Sehun’s on board to allow you to help him coach our games and practices next week. He said no skating yet, but you’re allowed to be on the bench with him and he’ll walk through strategies with you and his thought processes in situations.” You squeal loudly, causing him to flinch. “It was Hongjoong’s idea actually. He said it could be hard for you to just jump right back into things if you’ve been completely out of it for weeks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“OOOHHH I could kiss him,” you squeal again, causing Seonghwa to frown at you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d prefer if you didn’t.” He says, deadpan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d kiss you, but knowing you, you were against it,” you tease, earning a squawk from your boyfriend who starts to pout aggressively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s a good idea,” he mumbles. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay then you get a kiss. But not while you’re driving. You have to wait.” He huffs at having to wait for a kiss but seems to visibly relax at the thought that you won’t be kissing Hongjoong anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You return back to Seonghwa’s apartment (which had become your makeshift home since your injury) and you make your way to the kitchen to fill out the adoption application. Smiling, you pull Seonghwa down into a sweet kiss and he groans against your lips. You pull away and shoot him a blinding smile as you snuggle into him, returning to the task at hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What should we name him?” He asks you. “I don’t particularly like the name ‘Silas’”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You shake your head in agreement. “What about Oliver?” You ask, causing his face to light up. He nods enthusiastically, and now your prospective kitten has a name. “When can we get him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We can go back to the shelter tomorrow and submit the forms. Usually they said they can adopt out and go home the same day.” Seonghwa answers, earning another squeal from you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can we go shopping in the morning and then go submit the paper when they open?” You ask hopefully. He nods again and kisses your cheek.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Things were bleak as you were recovering, but your boyfriend always knew how to pull you out of it. And now you’d share the love of a sweet orange kitty that you’ll call Oliver. Suddenly recovery doesn’t seem so lonely.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Fun fact, this story is taking up 43 pages of google doc space. I didn't think I was capable of writing this much for one singular thing.</p><p>Fun fact #2 - this is almost how I adopted my orange kitty Greg. we went to the shelter hoping to adopt an older cat "any color but orange, Erica" (direct quote from my husband) and we ended up going home with an orange 12 week old kitten named Silas. His ears were too big (still are) and his tail was so long (still is) but he's the bestest kitty in the world.</p><p>Leave a comment or kudos and tell me what you've though about my fluff filler chapter. You can also find me on twitter @/armystaytiny</p><p>Also, check out my other Ateez stuff. I posted something completely different yesterday called "gonna make you miss me" and i love it. it's one of my favorite things i've written to date.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi, hello again.</p><p>What did you think? This first chapter may seem kind of rushed, but I needed to set up the general plot and introduce some of the characters. There is one in particular that is tagged that we didn't officially /meet/ and that won't be until next chapter (hoping to even get that up later today).</p><p>Please /please/ tell me your thoughts. Leave comments and kudos and let me know. this is going to be my baby for a while</p></blockquote></div></div>
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